How to make an 'In place upgrade' like MS xp

[nodnolse1]

I often try new settings, environments etc and often I get out from 'GUI', no ways to repair the damage. I used 'apt-get', 'dpkg' and reseted configurations files, 'kernel' and more but even when I get back the 'GUI', the system is compromised. Then, in this cases when repairing MS OS's like 98/2k/xp, using the 'In place upgrade' function in the 95% of the cases all system returns stable by deleting and reinstalling fresh system files/services. I think that an expert/s can make a sort of batch script that remove and install fresh system from Ubuntu repositories. Unfortunately I'm not able to understand what and how remove, reinstall, reconfigure in manner that a specific OS, for instance Ubuntu 12.04, become default as if it was just fresh installed but keeping user files and applications config/data. I dream a script that maybe natively (in the future) lets the user to reset and fix the system from terminal or maybe a choice in the gui menu that appears in 'recovery mode' from boot. Probably a 'reset to default sys/de/X/GUI files' as part of recovery tools should help many users, specially the new ones and alpha-tester like I. If you or someone that you know are able to produce a similar thing, please, join/merge yours knowhow to make Ubuntu users experience more confident and relaxed. Thanks for reading even if I think that these arguments are not interesting for exert users since that know exactly what to do when the system is faulty, then beginners users get always the same answer: '''fresh/clean install''. Best regards, Paolo


P.S. another missing and very important function is 'System Restore' like MS, even if MS is not my favorite OS, this function is really great. Please create it

[Mark Phelps]

MS's System Restore is NOT what many people think it is -- it is NOT a time-machine that rolls back the clock. When Windows updates are performed, and when apps are installed, Windows creates a Restore Point. This is NOT an image copy of the current state of MS Windows; instead, it saves off the system files that are being updated.

The MS tool should really be called Operating System Restore -- because that is what it really does. When you select a Restore Point, that is a associated with a copy of system files and settings that were made at a point in time. When you run System Restore, it overwrites the current system files (including the Registry) with those saved copies.

I personally have found System Restore to be useless and prefer, instead, to do my own image backups with Macrium Reflect (in Windows).

In Linux, I use Clonezilla to image off my current distros. IT only takes a few minutes, and it is very easy to run a restore, should I need to get back the working system.

There are other backup/restore solutions, as well, including DejaDup and RemasterSys. You should read about these and how they can be used to backup/restore your Linux system.

[oldfred]

If you are having Boot issues you can run this gui.
Post the link to the BootInfo report that this creates. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.
LighterWeight (Lubuntu based) Boot-RepairCD
http://sourceforge.net/projects/boot-repair-cd/files/
Full Ubuntu 13.04 liveDVD or USB Install with Boot-Repair included (for newer computers)
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LinuxSecureRemix

For just about anything else you can chroot from a liveCD (or Boot-Repair) and run every update or repair you might need to fix just about anything. But sometimes a reinstall is just easier if you have backed up /home, any other data you might need and a list of installed apps.